Monday, January 5, 2015

January 5, 2015 - UNITED STATES
- The flu is now widespread in all but seven states, and
hospitalization rates match the dismal season two years ago. While
health officials fear this will be an unusually bad year, it's too soon
to say.

The latest figures released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention show the flu hitting hard in most of the 43 states where
the illness was widespread. But the flu was not yet rampant in populous
states like California and New York.

The report is for the week
of Christmas, and it shows the flu season following a similar track as
the last two, when flu activity peaked no later than mid-January.
Perhaps that will happen this winter, too, the CDC's Dr. Michael Jhung
said.HOW BAD IS THIS FLU SEASON?

It's
not clear yet. Experts are worried because the nasty bug that's making
most people sick isn't included in this year's vaccine. Preliminary data
on how well the vaccine is working is still weeks away. Among
infectious diseases, flu is considered one of the nation's leading
causes of death, killing roughly 24,000 a year, on average.HOW UNUSUAL IS FLU THIS YEAR?

The
different flu strain makes predictions more difficult. The current
season hit hard in December ? earlier than usual. But the last two flu
seasons hit early, too. So far, flu hospitalization rates are similar to
the harsh season two years ago, which was dominated by a similar flu
virus. Especially this year, health officials this year are urging
doctors to treat flu patients promptly with antiviral medications.HAS FLU BECOME EPIDEMIC?

Yes,
but that's not unusual. "It's safe to say we have a flu epidemic every
year," Jhung said Monday. Epidemics occur when a virus spreads quickly
and affects many people at the same time. According to one CDC
definition, flu is epidemic when a certain percentage of deaths in a
given week are due to flu and pneumonia. By that measure, flu epidemics
occurred in nine of the last dozen winters, including this one.
Flu-related deaths surpassed the epidemic threshold three weeks ago,
then dropped below that level the next week. But other measures indicate
flu still is epidemic.IS IT TOO LATE TO GET A FLU SHOT?

CDC
officials say no. Even if the flu season peaks soon, it will still be
around for months. Despite the new flu strain, the vaccine has been well
matched in roughly a third of the flu cases seen so far. And it is
considered to be effective against some other flu viruses that could
surge in the late winter or spring. About 40 percent of the public was
vaccinated against flu as of November, which is about normal in recent
years, Jhung said. - ABC News.

File - Health care worker, possibly exposed to the Ebola virus, is being transported to a hospital in Omaha, Nebraska

January 5, 2015 - NEBRASKA, UNITED STATES- An
American health care worker possibly exposed to the Ebola virus in
Sierra Leone arrived at a hospital in Omaha on Sunday for evaluation and
any necessary treatment, an official said.

The patient was taken by ambulance from the Omaha airport to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where three other patients were treated last year, said Taylor Wilson, hospital spokesman.

Wilson would not disclose the age or gender of the patient, whom he said was flown directly from Sierre Leone to Omaha in an air ambulance.

The patient has not tested positive for Ebola but will be treated at the hospital’s Biocontainment Unit using the same precautions taken with those who had the disease, Wilson said.

Two of those patients were treated successfully and a third, gravely ill upon arrival, died.

“There will be 21 days of monitoring and if the disease does develop, obviously treatment would begin pretty quickly,” Wilson said.

Ebola is a hemorrhagic fever.

The latest outbreak, first identified in Guinea's remote southeast in early 2014, has struck six West African nations, with Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia bearing the brunt of the 20,000 infections and nearly 8,000 dead. - Reuters.

January 5, 2015 - EARTH - The following constitutes the latest reports of unusual and symbolic animal behavior, mass die-offs, beaching and stranding of mammals, and the appearance of rare creatures.

6 Turtles found washed up dead during past week in Cattolica and Rimini, Italy

Unfortunately the slaughter of sea turtles in the Adriatic Sea continues. After the six found beached on Monday, will check another Friday morning. This is a loggerhead, found beached in Cattolica's Malindi. Probably a propeller or a hook are the cause of death.
The previous deaths were due to the stormy sea that left dead turtles
along the coast of the province of Rimini and, in particular, in Misano,
Miramare, Viserba, Viserbella and Bellaria. - Rimini Today. [Translated]

Thousands of fish have died in a fish farm in Kampung Baru, Malaysia

Rosli Abas see seabass hers who died of muddy water into the pond in Kampung Baru Fishermen, dense, yesterday. - REPRESENTATIVE / orphan Abdullah

A
breeder suffered losses of about RM40,000 when sea bass reared in cages
in the river Kampung Baru Fishermen, near here died of yellow mud
brought a flood on three weeks ago.

The farmer concerned, Tengku Norlia Tengku Ali, 41, said the incident
involved only knowing about 6pm after being informed that her husband
Jim Abas, 51, who fell into the river to feed the fish farming."It is believed that most of the dead sea bass as mud problems that
were brought together into the river during heavy flooding recently."Seeing the situation, he quickly pulled out fish dying in the hope
that it can be sold even with the cheap," he told Utusan Malaysia here
today.Tengku Norlia tell, it
was not the first incident occurred because last year he suffered a loss
of nearly 50,000 cage waters in the area is contaminated.At that point, he said, he only managed to save part only, while about 12,000 barramundi fish tail again failed to be rescued."Most of the fish should be marketed but no sustenance for dead," he said. - Utusan Online. [Translated]

Zimbabwean man gored by cape buffalo

A Zimbabwean man survived an attack by a charging buffalo by hanging on to its horns, The Chronicle reported on Tuesday.

His intestines protruding from a first goring by the buffalo, Given
Ndlovu, 38, claims he managed to grab hold of the animal's horns and
then its nose, hanging on until it gave up the attack.

"The
lone buffalo came charging towards me as I was herding cattle on
Saturday. It attacked me with its horns in the stomach and I fell down.

"I then held its horns as it attempted to attack me again. I then left
the other horn and grabbed its nose and held it for some time," Ndlovu
reportedly said from his hospital bed.

Afterwards, in his
weakened state, Ndlovu stripped off his T-shirt and bandage his stomach
before calling relatives. He had surgery and was recovering in a
hospital in Bulawayo.

The attack happened in the Mvuthu
district, near Victoria Falls and other game-rich forestry and safari
areas in western Zimbabwe.

Officials reportedly suspect Ndlovu may have been trying to poach an animal in the area. - IOL

Rare Arctic Ivory gull spotted in Quincy, Illinois

Bird enthusiasts from all over the Midwest descended upon Quincy Saturday to get a glimpse of the extremely rare Ivory Gull.

"It's a fairly small gull but very elegant, pure white with very dark
eyes and legs, with this cute little bill that's dark with a yellow tip
on it," biology professor Jim Mountjoy said.

It was rainy,
cold, and damp. But that didn't stop Knox College Biology Professor and
bird expert Jim Mountjoy from getting a glimpse of the Ivory Gull. He says the bird is a native of the high Arctic Islands and is rarely seen in the lower 48."This
is an exceedingly rare bird to spot this far south," Mountjoy said.
"Anywhere in the continental United States it's pretty hard to see, even
if you go to Alaska it's sometimes quite difficult."

Mountjoy says he's been bird watching for over 40 years, and has only
spotted the Ivory Gull one other time. He calls Saturday a very rare
sighting in the state of Illinois.

WATCH: Ivory Gull.

"In 1991 there were two
records of the Ivory Gull in Illinois and those were the only two well
accepted records," Mountjoy said.

Jason Mullins says he was the first person to spot the bird outside of the Pier Restaurant on a patch of ice in Quincy.

"I knew it was something different so I contacted a couple people and
we determined later that it was an Ivory Gull, pretty rare," Mullins
said.

Mullins considers himself very lucky to be able to see such a magnificent creature.

"It's the bird of a lifetime, Mullins said. "It really is."

Mountjoy says The Ivory Gull survives by feeding on the carcasses of dead seals and other animals. - WGEM.

Dead whale washes up on Sandøy, Norway

Norway's
Coast Guard faced a grim and smelly task over the weekend: Discarding a
dead whale whose cadaver was in danger of exploding.

The dead
whale had washed up in a bay at Sandøy outside Bergen on Norway's West
Coast. It was found by a local resident on Friday and immediately raised
concerns because it was showing clear signs that gas had formed inside
the whale's stomach.

That meant it could explode, so the coast
guard ended up towing the dead whale out to sea and shooting it to
puncture the inflated intestines, so the cadaver would sink. - NIE.

Eight people injured by wild boar in India

Wild Boar

At least eight persons including a woman were injured, four of them seriouslywhen
a wild boar allegedly attacked them at Lunipada and Khetri-Berhampur
villages under Central forest range in Ganjam district of Odisha,
officials said today.

The injured persons were admitted to
nearby Gobara hospital, while those in serious condition shifted to the
sub divisional hospital at Bhanjanagar and MKCG Medical College and
Hospital here, divisional forest officer (DFO), Ghumusara North
division, Rama Swamy P, said.

The boar might have attacked the
people when they apparently tried to drive it away on Friday evening in
order to save the standing vegetable crops in the nearby village, forest
officials said.

The wild boars are often found ravaging the standing crops in the area, they said.

The injured will be provided assistance as per the government provision, the DFO said.

"We have constituted squads to keep a watch in forest-side villages in the area on the movement of the wild boars," he stated.

Police personnel were also assisting forest staffs in patrolling. - Business Standard.

Man attacked by deer he shot with arrow

A man was injured Friday evening, Jan. 2, in Fond du Lac County when he
was attacked by the deer that he had wounded with an arrow.

The 72-year-old man was transported by ambulance to St. Agnes Hospital
in Fond du Lac, according to Fond du Lac Sheriff's Officer Jeff Bonack.
The ambulance call came in around 7:30 p.m. The man's condition is
unknown.

The
man was out bow hunting earlier with a crossbow on the Peebles Trail
near Highway K in the town of Taycheedah. He wounded the doe with an
arrow and went back out later to track the animal, Bonack said.

"Apparently
the man was going through some thick brush and the deer leaped out and
went after him," Bonack said. "The doe struck him in the leg with her
head."

The injured hunter was transported by Mount Calvary Ambulance.

Bonack said the 72-year old had been out hunting with other family members.

Wild boar crashes through glass panel into library in Malaysia

The wild boar was trapped for almost two hours at a library in Malaysia Multimedia University (MMU) in Cyberjaya.

The
peaceful, silent library of the Malaysia Multimedia University (MMU)
today was "disturbed" by a wild boar which became trapped in the
buildingafter crashing through a glass panel of the rear door.

The male animal entered the building about 1.30pm and was trapped in the library for almost two hours.

Firemen from the Cyberjaya station arrived 10 minutes after the boar
entered the library and told those in the building to leave.

In
a statement, MMU chief librarian Kamal Sujak said staff and students in
the library at the time were startled to see the animal.

However, he said the firemen, Wildlife and National Parks rangers and
the university's safety department managed to get the boar out after
almost two hours.

"The animal had likely strayed from the nearby jungle due to the rapid development around Cyberjaya," he said.

Kamal said part of the main library had to be closed to catch the animal but the main reading hall was operating as usual.

He added that the situation was back to normal and that the cleaning up process was underway.

The incident went viral on the Internet as pictures of the animal were shared among Netizens. - New Strait Times.

Bear mauls forest official to death in India

Zee Media Bureau/Ritesh K Srivastava

A
middle-aged man employed with the Chhattisgarh Forest Department died
after he was attacked by a full-grown bear in the dense forests of
Surjapur on Monday.

According to reports, the forest official
was badly mauled by the enraged bear. The man soon succumbed to injuries
and died on spot. The
victim was part of the forest department team that went to hunt down
the bear following complaints of attack on several persons in the recent
past.
Some locals, who witnessed the incident,
tried to shoo away the animal by shouting but in vain as nobody cold
gather enough courage to go near the wild animal and save the dying man.

It is claimed that the bear had attacked two more persons in the past. The bear was also shot dead by the authorities later. The victim's body has been sent for post-mortem.

This is the second such incident of a wild animal attacking and mercilessly killing a human being in the recent past.

Few months back, a teenage boy was attacked and killed by a tiger after
he accidentally fell inside its cage in the national capital. - Zee News.

The elephant went out of control during a procession which was part of Khandoba celebrations.

One
woman was killed and another injured when a temple elephant went out of
control during a temple procession in Maharashtra on Saturday. The
incident took place in Pali village of Satara District, during a
procession to celebrate the regionally popular Khandoba festival. Three
lakh people were part of the procession and many had a lucky escape.

"There was a huge crowd. Two women were injured and amongst them one
woman died. People were running helter-skelter to save their lives and
that is when the accident took place," Police Sub-Inspector Mohan Tawde
told reporters

"We were sitting in one place. Suddenly the elephant went out of control and trampled people," said an eyewitness.

Another eyewitness said, "The elephant suddenly charged towards us. People ran and in the chaos my son got hurt in the leg."

The incident once again brings to light the dangers of keeping
elephants in captivity and using them in religious and marriage
processions. While this a common practice in India it often leads to
stress for pachyderms and lead to accidents. - NDTV.

Large amount of dead fish wash ashore on a lake in Carlos Paz, Argentina

Photo published by "Guardians of Mount"

It looks like a classic every year. Dead fish reappeared on the shore of Lake San Roque accompanied by foul odor causing algae blooms in the reservoir.

The first day of 2015 many tourists and visitors noticed the phenomenon
of fish deaths and had to endure the odor on the shore of the
reservoir.Adriana, a neighbor
of Malagueño who went to spend the day at the waterfront of Carlos Paz,
said that while there were a lot of dead fish, the smell was becoming
unbearable.The phenomenon has to do with the proliferation of blue-green algae that cause eutrophication of the lake. In simple words: remove oxygen and that kills fish. The smell is produced by algae. - Lavoz. [Translated]

January 5, 2015 - EUROPE
- The euro fell to $1.1861, its weakest level since 2006 on the back of
uncertainty over Greece’s position within the single currency. A strong
dollar and expectations that the European Central Bank will beef up its
stimulus program have also not helped.

The euro dropped to a low
of $1.1861 against the dollar during Asian trading hours on Monday.
However, it did pick up slightly to trade at $1.1950 during European
trading. This has seen the single currency lose as much as 1.2 percent
of its value.

European shares were volatile, initially falling
sharply before rebounding into positive territory within an hour of the
open as investors digested the implications of the weak euro and yet
another hefty slide in oil to a 5-1/2 year low, Reuters reports.

Euro lowest since March 2006 versus U.S. dollar on stimulus expectation by European Central Bank

Investors
have also been betting that the European Central Bank (ECB) will open
up a bond-buying program. This policy is known as quantitative easing,
which could add up to €1 trillion to the central bank’s approximately €2
trillion balance sheet. This pushes down bond yields, which move
inversely to bond prices, and lessens the attraction of the euro.“It’s very hard to imagine something that can convince the market that the euro is not a selling opportunity at this juncture,” said Roberto Mialich, a senior currency strategist at UniCredit SpA in Milan. “The
market continues to speculate that the ECB will start QE this month.
Clearly the election in Greece probably complicates the agenda for
Draghi.”

The
euro’s slump has not been helped uncertainty concerning Greece. German
Chancellor Merkel and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble have
repeatedly warned the southern European nation about reneging on the
bailout conditions that were set by Berlin. However, Merkel and Scheuble
now believe the single currency would be able to survive if Greece
decides to quit, according to a report in Der Spiegel.“Many
European officials believe a Greek exit would be manageable, and in
contrast to 2010-2011, we wouldn’t see the same cascading effect on
countries like Spain or Ireland,” Fredrik Erixon, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy in Brussels, told Bloomberg.

Alexis Tsipras, leader of the radical leftist party Syriza, delivers a
speech during a congress of the party in Athens, on January 3, 2015.
(AFP Photo)

Elections
in less than three weeks’ time in Greece have poured doubt on whether
it is committed to the euro zone. The anti-austerity Syriza party have
been campaigning against what they believe are draconian financial
restrictions implemented against the 240 billion euro bailout received
by Greece. In a speech on January 3, the party’s leader, Alexis Tsipras
described these constraints as being “unreasonable and catastrophic.”

Syriza
has a narrow lead in opinion polls ahead of the January 25 election,
however Prime Minister Antonis Samaras warned if Tsipras’s party is
victorious, this will lead to a default and force Greece to leave the
euro zone. - RT.

January 5, 2015 - UNITED STATES
- A fast-moving clipper system sweeping across the northern Plains to
the Northeast through Tuesday will leave behind a swath of snow and
travel delays. A quick burst of snow will target a dozen or more major
cities as the storm moves swiftly eastward.

People in this
swath can expect a quick burst of snow with this system that will lower
visibility to dangerous levels. Road conditions will likely go from
clear to snow covered in a short amount of time.

According to AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski, "The snow will be accompanied by a rapid drop in temperature in some cases, which may cause roads to quickly transition from wet and slushy to icy and snow-covered."

Interstates 29, 35, 80 and 90 are just some of the roadways that could face slow travel and poor road conditions. Motorists are urged to slow down or even pull off for a time if faced with white-out conditions. Delays at some of the major hubs can be expected as well.

The fast-moving nature of the system will be one factor in reducing snowfall amounts, keeping most locations in the 1- to 3-inch range. However, the influence of cold air and a band of heavier snow will bring more to some places.

"Some locations in a narrow band along and to the north of the track of the clipper could receive as much as 6 inches of fluffy snow," said Meteorologist Brian Edwards.

A few locations may even come out higher than 6 inches, although it will be very localized.

The morning commute on Tuesday will likely be a snowy one for the Northeast as this system continues to bolt eastward, impacting Pittsburgh, Scranton and Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Several inches are possible across Pennsylvania to southern New England. Interstate 95 will be at risk for delays from Boston to the northern suburbs of Philadelphia during Tuesday.

"New York City, Hartford [Connecticut] and Boston could also pick up enough snow to cause travel problems," said Edwards.

A general 1 to 3 inches will fall across New York, southern New England, northern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. However, higher amounts will fall across northwestern Pennsylvania to the Laurel Highlands.

Enough snow could fall to coat the ground as far south as Washington, D.C., to Dover, Delaware, and Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Frigid temperatures will already be in place when the storm sweeps through, but a shot of reinforcing cold will follow.

High temperatures will be in the teens and single digits Tuesday across the Plains and Midwest, but another shot of brutally cold air will keep highs from reaching above zero for many on Wednesday. - AccuWeather.

CHICAGO COLD SET TO SMASH RECORDS...

...Snow possible over parts of the Middle Mississippi Valley to the Ohio Valley and the Northern Rockies/High Plains...

...Temperatures will be 15 to 25 degrees below average from the Northern Plains to the Upper Great Lakes/Western Ohio Valley...

Strong
onshore flow over the Pacific Northwest will slowly wane on Monday. In
the meantime, light to moderate rain will develop along the Pacific
Northwest and into parts of the Northern Intermountain Region through
Monday evening. Moderate snow will develop over parts of
Northern/Central Rockies on Monday. Cold high pressure over the Middle
Mississippi Valley will move eastward to the Ohio Valley and modify by
Monday evening. A second cold high pressure area over West-Central
Canada will move into parts of the Northern High Plains on Tuesday.
Circulation around the high pressure will aid in producing upslope flow
that will produce snow over the Northern High Plains to parts of the
Central Plains on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a clipper system will
develop over the Central Plains on Monday afternoon and move eastward to
off the Mid-Atlantic Coast by Tuesday evening. The system will produce
light to moderate snow over parts of the Central Plains/Middle
Mississippi Valley on Monday afternoon/evening that will move eastward
into the Ohio Valley/Northern Mid-Atlantic by Tuesday morning.
Upper-level energy moving over the Great Lakes along with cold air will
aid in producing lake effect/lake enhanced snow downwind from the Great
Lakes through Tuesday evening. Elsewhere, a lingering front over
Southern Florida will aid in producing light rain over the area through
Tuesday. - Weather Prediction Center.

Minnesotans Warned Frostbite In Minutes...

An arctic front moved into the state over the weekend, bringing with it extreme cold and bone-chilling winds. The National Weather Service issued a wind chill warning for the northern half of the state, and a wind chill advisory for the southern half. It expired at noon.

At 6 a.m., temperatures in the Twin Cities hovered around 10 below, while the mercury in northern Minnesota read 16 below in Bemidji and 28 below in International Falls.

WATCH: Dangerous Cold, Snow As Arctic Air Hovers Over Minnesota

Monday’s deep freeze was accompanied by light winds, creating wind chill factors of 25 below in the metro and 45 below in extreme northern Minnesota. Factors that cold can cause frostbite to exposed skin in 10 to 15 minutes.

Snow is also on the way.

Forecaster Kylie Bearse says 6 to perhaps 10 inches of snow could fall in the southwestern corner of the state, where a winter storm warning is in effect until midnight. The storm system will move in from the southwest during the afternoon, and by 6 p.m. the clouds will move over the metro. Residents in the Twin Cities, however, should only see a dusting to an inch of snow.

The highs Monday will struggle to make it out of the subzero depths, and no community is expected to reach 5 degrees.

The arctic air stick around through Wednesday, when the high is forecasted to be a bone-chilling 4 below. That’ll be followed by a mild warm-up, and by Sunday temperatures will reach near 20 degrees. - CBS Minnesota.

Duluth Ski Resorts Close Because Too Cold...

Severe
cold throughout the state is having an impact, starting with a Duluth
area ski resort closing Sunday because of “extremely low temperatures
and intense windchill factors.”

Windchill readings ranging from 20 to 35 below zero “will continue today and tonight” for the Twin Cities area, and much of central and southeastern Minnesota, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Coming Monday, the NWS adds, light snowfall is forecast generally along and south of the Interstate 94 corridor into the Twin Cities. “Moderate to heavy snow” is anticipated across far southern Minnesota, the Weather Service added.

Sunday’s daytime high in the Twin Cities will hover just above or below the Big Goose Egg, according to the NWS. Wind speeds of up to 15 miles per hour will push the windchill factor below minus-30.

Tuesday should see a high a few degrees above zero in the metro, but the lows are forecast to remain negative territory through Friday. Also, windchills could plunge Tuesday and Wednesday night to a range between 30 and 40 below, the NWS said.

Spirit Mountain’s operators pointed to “guest and employee safety” for their decision to close the slopes and its Adventure Park on Sunday “due to the incoming extremely low temperatures and intense windchill factors. As of 10 a.m. Sunday, the temperature was minus-8, with a windchill of minus-28, the Weather Service reported.

For updates on operations later in the week, visit www.spiritmt.com.

Also shuttered amid the shivering Sunday in Duluth was the Bayfront Family Center, where various wintertime recreational activities are offered.

Temperatures were in the lower single digits just above or below zero throughout the Twin Cities area as 2 p.m. Sunday arrived, with windchills ranging from 16 to 22 below zero under sunny skies.

Elsewhere in the state, below zero readings were the norm everywhere except a few cities in southeastern Minnesota. Thief River Falls in northwestern Minnesota led the way at 2 p.m. with 17 below and minus-34 windchill. Flag Island, in north-central Minnesota, reported minus-15, with a windchill of 41 below.

At the balmier end of the spectrum, Winona and Madison east boasted a 5-degree positive reading by midafternoon Sunday. - Star Tribune.

Wind Chills 50 Below...

In
addition to some snow and heavy rain, bitterly cold temperatures have
begun moving into parts of the U.S. and will be staying put for at least
part of this week.

Snow is possible across a 2,000-mile stretch
of the U.S. and meteorologist Megan Glaros of CBS station WBBM says that
millions of people will deal with brutally cold weather – with wind
chills as low as 50 degrees below zero for part of the northern Plains.

WATCH: Weather forecast - Millions face snow, bitter cold.

Here are some questions and answers about the weather:Q: WHAT’S THE FORECAST?
A: The Midwest will see the tail end of a storm that could leave as
many as 6 inches of snow in Chicago by early Tuesday. The National
Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory until noon Monday for
the Chicago area, due to wind chills of 15 to 30 below overnight, CBS
Chicago reported.

After that, Arctic temperatures like those seen
in North Dakota and Minnesota will rush in. Parts of those states were
expecting wind chills of between 25-50 degrees below zero through Monday
morning.

It’ll be a similar story in New York, where rain showers
will give way to cold air. By Thursday, “New York City will be lucky if
it hits 20″ for a high and could see lows near 10 degrees, according to
Michael Musher with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction
Center.

In Boston, strong wind is ushering in the cold – and gusts
will top out between 40-50 mph this afternoon resulting in some
isolated pockets of tree/powerline damage in the region, WBZ-TV
meterologist Danielle Niles reports.

Atlanta will see temperatures dip to about 15 degrees Monday and Tuesday.

In
the West, a stream of Pacific moisture will drop as much as 6 inches of
rain in the Seattle area and could mean substantial snowfall in the
Cascades. But in San Francisco – a region that desperately needs rain –
skies will be sunny.Q: WHAT’S CAUSING THE TEMPERATURE DROP?
A: The jet stream is dipping, meaning cold air from Canada and other
northern areas is plummeting into the eastern two-thirds of the United
States.Q: IS IT A POLAR VORTEX?
A: The phrase took on a life of its own last year, and it was blamed
for everything from ice storms to the inability of the New York Giants
to score touchdowns. But the National Weather Service is skittish about
going anywhere near it this time around.

But the answer is yes and
no. Yes, because as Musher noted, the cold air is coming from near the
North Pole. But also no, because the low-pressure system isn’t going to
sink into the U.S. this year, just the temperatures that precede it.

Meteorologists say it’s simply winter.Q: HOW CAN PEOPLE PREPARE?
A: Bundle up. For much of the country, this is the first true taste of
winter weather. Musher suggests dressing properly and remembering that
below-freezing temperatures can cause hypothermia.

But there don’t
seem to be any huge winter storms poised to strike, meaning travel in
most places won’t be more difficult than it usually is this time of
year.Q: WHAT’S NEXT?
A: Temperatures are expected to be lower than normal for several days.
They could rise a bit by the end of the week. But remember: It’s only
January. - CBS St. Louis.

Postal Service asks for help...

U.S. Postal Service

With
more snow expected to blanket the region during the next couple days,
one seasonal tool is expected to make its return at homes and businesses
– the shovel. To help letter carriers deliver mail for the holidays,
the Postal Service is asking customers to clear snow and ice from
sidewalks, stairs and mailboxes.

“Snow and ice make delivery dangerous and slow,” said A/Milwaukee Postmaster A.R. “Bob” Odell. “Maintaining a clear path to the mail box – including steps, porches, walkways and street approach – will help letter carriers maintain consistent delivery service and help them get those cards and packages delivered in time for the holidays.”

Customers receiving door delivery should make sure their sidewalks, steps and porches are clear. Customers receiving curbside delivery should remove snow piles left by snow plows to keep access to their mailboxes clear for letter carriers.

Delivery service may be delayed or curtailed whenever streets or walkways present hazardous conditions for letter carriers or when snow is plowed against mailboxes. “The Postal Service curtails delivery only after careful consideration, and only as a last resort,” says Odell. “Any curtailed mail is attempted the next delivery day.”

Blue collection boxes also need to be kept clear for our customers to deposit their mail and for the Postal Service to collect the mail for delivery. Residents and businesses with collection boxes near their property are asked to keep them clear of snow and ice. “We want our letter carriers to be safe,” adds Odell. “We can only do this with the help of our customers.”

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. - FOX 6 Now.

January 5, 2015 - WALL STREET, UNITED STATES
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average has lost over 300 points as the US
crude oil prices briefly dipped below $50 per barrel thrashing energy
stocks on Monday.

As of 1:21 pm ET the Dow fell by 1.82 percent
losing 323 points. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index followed close
behind 1.55 percent off losing over 36 points at 1:11 pm ET. S&P 500 has only been down 1.5%+ on one of the year's first two trading days 7 times; last occurrence was in 2001.

The
US stock markets fell as crude oil futures prices dropped to their
lowest since mid-2009 on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) on
Monday.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) February futures fell by
nearly 5 percent briefly dipping below $50 a barrel. Brent crude hit its
multi-year low dropping at one point to $52.90 a barrel as it’s
February futures fell by over 6 percent.“The declines in oil are representing something much more ominous, which is a global economic slowdown,” Jeff Sica, president and CEO of advisory firm Circle Squared Alternative Investments, told Bloomberg by phone. “Investors have gone past the thought that this is good for the economy.”

Earlier
on Monday, the European benchmark for Brent oil dropped to $54.72 a
barrel on the ICE Futures Europe exchange in London, Bloomberg reported.
February futures slid as much as 2.8 percent extending a loss of 5.1
percent since last week.

WATCH: Oil Slump - Prices fall past $50 for first time in 5 years.

By the end of 2014 Brent futures fell by 48 percent. Monday’s opening session of year continued the disappointing decline.

The slumping oil prices come amid slackened global demand while supplies still remain high."There's no doubt that we have a combination of supplies hitting their zenith at a time when demand is weakening," Phil Flynn, analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago told Reuters.

Oil
production in Russia and Iraq surged to the highest level in decades.
The Iraqi Oil Ministry said on Sunday that it plans to increase crude
exports to a record in January. Russian oil production rose 0.7 percent
in 2014 and averaged 10.58 million barrels a day, which set a
post-Soviet record. - RT.

Tree branches are snapping and falling all over the city due to weight of the ice. Photo by @vincentchampagn

Just witnessed this branch snapped right off the tree because of the weight of the ice. #weather#cbcmtl

The wacky #weather has caused power outages across Quebec, including here in Dorval. #cbcmtl

Ice, ice baby #Montreal

"Our crews are presently
patrolling to find out where the power outages are and trying to restore
the power as soon as possible. It's mainly due to the weather
conditions," Hydro-Quebec spokeswoman Elaine Beaulieu told CBC News.

The main cause of the blackouts was tree branches falling due to snow and ice on them – leading to damage to power cables.

There have also been flight cancelations and delays due to the situation.

WATCH: 150,000 customers without electricity in the Montreal area.

Meanwhile,
severe weather raged all over Canada, with British Columbians advised
to put off travel. A total of 24 winter storm warnings were issued for
the region Sunday. A weather warning for drivers was also issued Sunday
evening, and it is expected to extend into Monday.

Most of
Canada’s prairie provinces and northern Ontario are under extreme cold
warnings: southern Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba and northern Ontario
are set to fall as low as -40 to -45 degrees Celsius. - RT.

January 5, 2015 - SPACE
- A potentially hazardous asteroid, at least 20 times the size of the
Chelyabinsk meteorite, will approach the Earth on January 26. The rock
is expected to fly by at a distance of 1.2 million kilometers.

The
asteroid, named 2004 BL86 by scientists, is estimated to be between
440-1,000 meters in diameter. 1.2 million kilometers is approximately
three times the distance from the Earth to the Moon.

According to astronomers, there is no threat of the object colliding with our planet. The Goldstone Observatory, located in California's Mojave Desert, will observe the asteroid during its approach.

2004 BL86 was discovered on January 30, 2004, by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR), responsible for the majority of asteroid discoveries from 1998 until 2005, when it was overtaken by the Catalina Sky Survey (CSS).

As of mid-September 2011, LINEAR had detected some 231,082 new objects, of which at least 2,423 were near-Earth asteroids and 279 comets.

A space object is considered potentially dangerous if it crosses the Earth's orbit at a distance of less than 0.05 AU (approximately 19.5 distances from the Earth to the Moon), and if its diameter exceeds 100-150 meters.

Objects of this size are large enough to cause unprecedented destruction, or generate a mammoth tsunami in case they fall into the ocean.

When a meteorite burst above the city of Chelyabinsk in February 2013, the impact was estimated to be equivalent to 440-500 kilotons of TNT.

But the Chelyabinsk meteorite was relatively small, about 17 meters in diameter. It disintegrated with a blast at an altitude of over 20 kilometers. - RT.

January 5, 2015 - HIMALAYAS
- The ITBP, which guards the high-altitude Himalayan border posts with
China, has sounded a high alert as moderate to heavy snowfall has been
reported in the region in the last 24 hours.

The snowfall continued in the higher reaches of this part of the Himalayas today, ITBP sources said here. "The
snowfall has broken records of recent years. After 2005, dense snowfall
used to occur in this part of the Himalayas after January 15, but this
year it has started early," said Kedar Singh Rawat, an ITBP officer.

According to ITBP sources, while 120
cm snowfall was recorded at Joligkong Ridge, near the China border in
the Vyans valley of Dharchula subdivision, the last border post at China
border at Nabhidhang received 90 cm snowfall in the last 24 hours. "The
snowfall, which started ahead of the Garbiyang post of the ITBP,
witnessed 40 cm to 80 cm snowfall in the last 24 hours," said Rawat.

In Munsiyari, the peaks of Panchachuli, Rajrambha, Chiplakedar and Hansling received heavy snowfall in the last 24 hours.

Weather
Department sources said snowfall in higher reaches and rainfall in
lower valleys would continue for the next 24 hours. - The Tribune.

January 5, 2015 - SPACE
- The annual Quadrantid meteor shower is peaking this weekend over the
night of January 3 – 4, during which avid space enthusiasts could spot
up to 80 shooting stars per hour.

Peak
activity is short-lived and very intense, despite the entire show
lasting between December 28 last year and January 12 this year.

Quadratids
consist of larger particles than an average meteor shower, thus causing
larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer. Fireballs
are also brighter, with “magnitudes brighter than -3,” according to NASA.

The
show is best viewed in the northern hemisphere, however, the moon’s
prominence in the sky on the night could have a mildly detrimental
impact on visibility. The bright moonlight can wash out all but the
brightest meteors.

Stargazers have also been advised to stay
away from big cities if they want to get the best view – as artificial
light pollution can obscure visibility dramatically. To see the meteors
one would need to lay on his or her back looking up in the night sky for
some 20-30 minutes to let the eyes adapt to the dark.

WATCH: Get ready for the Quadrantid Meteor Showers.

“Be patient — the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse,” said NASA.

The
Quadrantids took their name from a constellation of Quadrans Muralis,
which was absorbed into the Boötes constellation in 1922, when the
International Astronomical Union defined the present 88 constellations.
The name Quadrans Muralis however survives in terms of its meteor
shower. - RT.

January 5, 2015 - EARTH -
Snows have blanketed North African nations,including areas in the Sahara
Desert. Libya,Tunisia, Morocco, Turkey, Greece and Italy. The media
reports a dusting/sprinkling/light blanket of snow. See the images for
yourself and decide if this was light or heavy snowfall.

The still inaccessible road networks in Attica include
sections of the Mt. Penteli peripheral road and those in the
Alepochori-Vilia, Psatha and Porto Germeno areas, while cars need snow
chains to travel around the Oenoe, northwest of Athens, area.

High-elevation
towns in Arcadia and the Corinth prefectures in the Peloponnese were
still struggling with problems from snow and ice, but in other areas of
southern Greece — Laconia, the Argolid and Messinia — circulation went
back to normal. Exceptions are the old Tripolis-Argos national road at
the Achladokambos junction which is still shut down, and a Levidi-Nemea
national road section that requires snow chains.http://greece.greekreporter.com/2015/...